I'm an LA basketball wife and fashion designer – I dress celebrities like Cardi B
ANGEL Brinks has reality television to her name, but a few projects in store.
She's best known for her role on three seasons of VH1's Basketball Wives of LA and told The US Sun that's not where her rise to fame in the fashion world began.
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The 41-year-old has collaborated with some of hip-hop's biggest names, including Cardi B, Missy Elliott and Lil Kim, and nailed them down to a tee.
She was even listed in Forbes as one of the “Top 10 Women Leaders to Conquer 2023,” according to a report. Instagram post.
But she was a new mom who ventured into reality television for the first time when she entered the public stage — and it wasn't all sunshine and roses.
REALITY OF TV
Angel had just welcomed her daughter Amani with NBA player Tyreke Evans when she joined Basketball Wives of LA in 2015.
“I was very stressed in my relationship, so I thought it was more of a sisterhood and we could talk about life that comes with basketball,” she said.
“I wasn't married, but I started a family with him. So for me it was about wanting to build my strength and feel like we can all relate.
“I came into it with a pure heart and that's when I realized there's a lot going on.”
Angel has spoken out about being “bullied” by the other women on the show, saying they didn't take her ambitions as a fashion designer seriously.
She went on to appear in three seasons of the show – and the ones she said were “hard” she's glad she did.
“I learned a lot about people. I learned a lot about myself,” she said.
COUNT ON CARDI
Angel's experience did not go unnoticed by A-listers, including an upset Cardi B.
The WAP rapper didn't appreciate how Angel was treated by other cast members and enlisted her to create an MTV VMA dress.
“I worked with Cardi B when she started Love and Hip Hop, if not before,” Angel said.
“So she and I already had a working relationship. I was designing for her,” she added.
“And she just happened to be watching as she tweeted, 'Angel Brinks is actually a nice person and I don't like what they're doing to her. They're really mean to her for no reason,' or whatever.” quote was, she basically said that in a nutshell,” she added.
“Cardi B is great to work with,” she said.
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ALL DRESSED UP WITH SOMEWHERE TO GO
In addition to designing for Cardi B, Angel has also collaborated with several other iconic names in hip-hop.
“I think Missy Elliott was probably one of the biggest challenges for me because she is an extreme perfectionist,” she said.
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“Lil' Kim too, and a lot of the girls too, but Missy has been around for a while and she knows what she wants and she has to get it perfect.
“Sometimes it's a challenge, but I like doing it well, and it makes me feel better. I feel like, 'Okay, good. I made her happy. I did what I had to do.'
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“I did a Super Bowl commercial with her, and that was a big career move for me… because the check came in from Pepsi. You're like, 'Oh my God!'
“[Missy Elliott] “It was great to work with and very humble, very kind,” she added.
Other hip-hop names she has designed for include Megan Thee Stallion and Saweetie, but her reach doesn't stop there.
“Anitta was a major for me. I never met her, but when I got the call from her stylist to design for her, that was a major,” she said.
Angel has also designed for Heidi Klum and Melanie B of the Spice Girls.
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AND VOGUE
Angel's designs have evolved to grace red carpets and large-scale advertisements, but she started with a niche.
“I originally launched leggings — just leggings — 14 years ago,” she said.
“Leggings were really hot at the time and at that time it was really just American Apparel and there were only basic leggings,” she added.
The lack of variety on the market led to full-fledged entrepreneurship.
“I was like, 'Let me take the leggings, enhance them with glitter, cut them up, paint them or do other things.'
I grew up with Barbie dolls and wanted to dress up my Barbie dolls. Now I have real models and dress-up mannequins.
Angel Brinks
“And then customers said, 'Can you make a matching top for this?'”
They also started asking for pieces that accentuate specific body types.
“I noticed over time that not only am I making more designs, but girls are saying, 'I really hate my arms, so can you make this with sleeves?'
“Some girls say, 'I really hate my back. Can you make my dress with a full back?'”
Angel Brinks Fashion is now a haute couture brand with a number of ready-to-wear options available.
“If it's made to order, it's not just hanging on a rack, because in the showroom, of course, people can come in, try it on and maybe mess it up.
“When you get your piece, it's not a return piece and it's not on a rack that is being tried on by so many people.
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“Your piece comes fresh off the sewing machine, so there are a lot of good things that go into that that just require a little patience,” she added.
Her styles are clearly tailored to curves, as Angel herself said she was inspired by the female form.
“I grew up with Barbie dolls and wanted to dress up my Barbie dolls. Now I have real models and dress-up mannequins.
“The woman's body is my inspiration. Just really accentuating or adding to a woman's curves.”
FRIENDS FIRST
Co-star Draya Michele, a real-life friend of Angel's, invited her onto the show that put her on the reality TV map.
Draya, a media personality, landed on Basketball Wives of LA because of her track record of dating NBA players.
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“[Draya] was one of the most popular girls on the show. So she brought me in and I'm extremely grateful and appreciative of her. She didn't have to do that,” she said.
Angel added that seeing her friend being bullied on the show hurt her on a personal level.
“I was appointed by Draya and many girls came for her, it is a form of bullying,” she said.
“So when I came in as her friend in the first season, I was attacked because I'm Draya's friend, but I took it. You're not going to attack my friend. So whatever it is, let's get started,” she added .
In addition to loyalty to her friend, she said she felt attacked for her positive attitude.
“I'm a very easy target. I'm very kind. I support women. I'm a key player in women's empowerment,” she said.
“My entire business is based on women. I can't just put another woman there because that goes completely against what I believe in,” she added.
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